HEALING TO CHANGE LIVES

BROOK PARKER-BELLO, PH.D., is a clinical counselor, author, advocate, actress, ordained minister, and founding CEO of More Too Life Inc., a nonprofit human trafficking reduction and survivor empowerment organization. A survivor herself, Parker-Bello has received broad recognition, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama and the White House and, most recently, was named the Department of Justice ATF Division Victim Advocate of the Year. Her latest book, Shame Undone: A Memoir (Will Dreamly Arts), has been optioned for a motion picture.

MARYA MEYER is the executive director of The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade. As One Billion Rising’s global coordinator for Miami, she has worked with Eve Ensler and other activists across the globe since 2012, when this grassroots movement united ordinary citizens and stakeholders to create the awareness and solidarity necessary to end the staggering statistics of gender violence, locally and across the globe, in our lifetimes. Focusing locally on the greatest challenges facing the South Florida community, Meyer and key partners coordinated powerful grassroots RISINGS which subsequently transformed into a partnership with The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade to lead monthly meetings where public and private entities, government civil servants, activists, volunteers and all those concerned with creating freedom from violence could join forces and resources, including on the key issue of human trafficking. She served as co-chair of the community outreach working group of the official Stop Sex Trafficking campaign of the Miami Super Bowl host committee, with lead partners the Office of the Miami-Dade State Attorney and The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade. Meyer is a member of the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, Miami-Dade Human Trafficking Coalition and the advisory boards for Design & Architecture Senior High and the TJ Martell Miami Host Committee.